Dynamic learning through co-op

Software engineering intern at sendwithus in Victoria, BC.

Learning to ‘crack the code’ as a software engineering intern at sendwithus in Victoria, BC.

Demonstrating a new design for the mechanized organics processor used by a local business.

Demonstrating a new design for the mechanized organics processor used by a local business.

Checking the turbines at BC’s largest wind farm in Tumbler Ridge, BC.

Checking the turbines at BC’s largest wind farm in Tumbler Ridge, BC.

Two co-op students enjoying time in the field replacing the solar array for an off-grid cabin.

Two co-op students enjoying time in the field replacing the solar array for an off-grid cabin.

Checking out the Newell Substation while an working on the BC Hydro Station Strategy and Standards team.

Checking out the Newell Substation while an working on the BC Hydro Station Strategy and Standards team.

Learning about safety as equipment reliability intern at the Bruce B Nuclear Generating Station.

Learning about safety as equipment reliability intern at the Bruce B Nuclear Generating Station.

At UVic, learning extends beyond the classroom. Through co-operative education (co-op), you can alternate terms in class with paid work terms in positions related to your field of study. You'll graduate with work experience, a great resume, contacts in your field and some extra cash in your pocket. Co-op graduates are more likely to find relevant, permanent work with higher salaries.

Discover co-op

Develop your career

Do I need to apply for admission to co-op?

As a biomedical, civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, or software engineering student, your degree program includes an integrated co-operative education (co-op) component. You'll automatically be registered in co-op and receive job search guidance and training.

Computer science students need to apply to the co-op program. You can apply in your first or second year by contacting the Engineering and Computer Science/Math Co-op office in ECS 204.

Learn more about the Engineering and Computer Science Co-op Program.

See what some of our students have done

Singh stands outside on campus, with trees and buildings in the background.

Computer Science student wins UVic Co-op Student of the Year

Kawaljit Singh’s co-op experience was beneficial on so many levels, from the skills he honed to an increase in confidence and overall health.Read more

Two side-by-side photos show two young women wearing masks stand beside a chest-height medical ventilator indoors, and a young man, also wearing a mask, standing outside the glass door of StarFish Medical and Vivitro labs.

Engineering students get eye-opener at StarFish Medical

Three UVic co-op students worked with StarFish staff on rigorously testing all aspects of the ventilator’s functioning in advance of thousands of units being distributed across Canada.Read more

The three co-op students, wearing masks and protective eye gear, work at various machines in the machine shop.

Machine shop co-op: the epitome of hands-on learning

Three co-op students working in UVic’s Mechanical Engineering machine shop are making a huge contribution to the faculty, while getting plenty of opportunities to practice and expand their skills.Read more

Two engineering students, wearing protective face masks, sit at a long table in a UVic Engineering lab, where they sand and assemble the plastic components of face shields.

Multi-talented engineering student team responds to pandemic

Kim Arklie hadn’t intended to do a co-op term this summer. But when the fourth-year student heard about the creation of the UVic Engineering COVID-19 Response Team, she knew she had to try to be part of it.Read more

Student Yuchen Zhao works at a computer from home.

Computer Science student plunges into a COVID software solution

For Yichun Zhao, helping develop a computer system that ensures people entering BC from outside the country are managing self-isolation was a “wild ride.”Read more

Darian Langeler at a desk in front of a computer.

Electrical engineering student plays his part in ventilator project

When Darian Langeler started his co-op at StarFish Medical in January, he could never have imagined he’d end up working on a crucial, nation-wide project that could benefit thousands of Canadians.Read more

TreeRover, the tree-planting robot
Many students spend their summers tromping through slash-piles and battling blackflies to replant Canada's forests. Two University of Victoria engineering undergrads took a different approach: they built a tree-planting robot with the idea of supplementing the humans' hard work. “TreeRover" is the brainchild of two third year UVic electrical engineering students, Nick Birch and Tyler Rhodes. As part of an entrepreneurial co-op work term, they merged their love for the forests of Vancouver Island with their passion for sustainable technologies by forming a company—Iota Enterprises—to build this prototype of a reforestation robot. UVic YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/uvic Learn more about Co-op: http://uvic.ca/coopandcareer
Victoria Hand Project
The "Victoria Hand" is a project of the University of Victoria’s Biomedical Design and Systems Laboratory. Led by Dr. Nikolai Dechev, the Victoria Hand Project (VHP) is a not-for-profit that’s designing and distributing low-cost ($350), high-functioning, upper limb 3D-printed prostheses to people in need. Working with organizations which have established relationships on the ground in Guatemala (Range of Motion Project) and Nepal (Kathmandu Orthopaedic Hospital), Joshua Coutts—BEng ’14—is a research associate for ongoing field trials. The Victoria Hand Project: http://www.victoriahandproject.com/ Biomedical Design and Systems Laboratory: http://web.uvic.ca/~bdsl/ UVic's YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/uvic University of Victoria: http://uvic.ca

See more videos from the Engineering co-op playlist on YouTube.